Actress Saira Banu pins hopes on CM for resolving property dispute

Mumbai: Veteran actress and wife of Dilip Kumar, Saira Banu, hopes that Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will stick to his promise with regard to resolving a property dispute with builder Samir Bhojwani.

Interacting with mediapersons here on Tuesday, Saira Banu said she had sought a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi who was here on Tuesday to discuss the issue following the builder’s release from jail.

Bhojwani had falsely claimed ownership of the two plots on which Kumar’s bungalow is built. The 96-year-old actor’s bungalow is located in the upscale Pali Hill area of suburban Bandra.

Saira Banu’s request for a meeting with PM was shared on Dilip Kumar’s official Twitter account. “Request from Saira Banu Khan: The Hon’ble @PMOIndia Shri @narendramodi Sir, Land Mafia Samir Bhojwani released from jail. No action taken despite assurances by CM @Dev_Fadnavis. Padma Vibhushit betrayed, threatened by money and muscle power. Request meeting with you in #Mumbai,” the tweet read.

Banu had also tagged Fadnavis in her tweet.

When asked about the star couple’s apprehension following Bhojwani’s release, Fadnavis told the media that he will speak to them and try to sort out the issue.

According to Saira Banu, Prime Minister Modi has directed Fadnavis to study and sort out the issue as soon as possible.

“We are hopeful that the Prime Minister will look into the matter and I hope our kind Chief Minister will also look into it and take due action. For the last three months, the CM has been promising me that he will talk to Bhojwani and resolve the issue. I hope he will stick to his words and do the needful.”

Giving details about the dispute, Saira Banu said: “We have been facing this court dispute and harassment by Samir Bhojwani for the last 10-12 years. This man (Samir Bhojwani) is an expert at land grabbing, forgery and fraudulent cases. He is doing these things because he has muscle power and money. He has big political connections, and therefore, no one is willing to take action against him.”

Saira Banu also stated that Bhojwani has violated BMC guidelines but they have not taken any action against him.

“Earlier, he wanted to build a cottage for his sister in front of our residence. At that time, we gave him permission. After that, we went out of Mumbai for two-three months and when we returned, we saw that he had built a two-three storey building instead of a cottage, and while doing so he had violated BMC rules but no one has taken any kind of action against him.”

Stating that Dilip Kumar’s residence is a famous landmark in Bandra, Saira Banu said, “The entire world knows that this is Dilip Kumar saab’s residence so how can he trespass on that land? He knows that Dilip saab has health issues and because of all this stress his health has deteriorated even more.”

Saira Banu added that Dilip Kumar has an emotional attachment with his house. “It is his only house and we all are emotionally attached to it. Dilip saab’s younger sister and brother have grown up in this house.

“He hasn’t worked in 300 films that he can afford to invest in properties. In his entire film career, he has hardly been part of 56 good films. He is a man who has contributed a lot for his country through his art.”

In December 2017, Saira Banu had lodged a police complaint alleging that Bhojwani was threatening and harassing her and Dilip Kumar over the property. Following the complaint, the Mumbai police had arrested Bhojwani.